Horseshoes

The belief that good luck will come from hanging a horseshoe above a door originates from beliefs related to symbols of half-circles and crescents.

Early religions considered crescent shaped objects powerful and protective signs. In ancient Yucatan and Peru, temples were built with arched doorways because of this notion. In Spain the Moors designed their mosques in arch formation. Ruins at Stonehenge, England, show that the religious grounds of the sun-worshiping Druids were in semi-circles or horseshoe design. Down through the Middle Ages churches and public buildings were built with arched windows and doorways as a means of protection against evil.

It is thought that horseshoes originated with the Greeks during the 4th Century. Horses were held sacred at that time, so their crescent-shaped shoes became symbols of good luck. Added power came from the fact that the horseshoes were made from iron, the metal that people believed guarded one from the power of witches. Until recent years, horseshoes were made to hold seven nails, a mystic and potent number. So its no wonder that the Greeks and Romans always kept a horseshoe nailed to the wall for protection against almost anything.

There are two beliefs on how to hang your horseshoe. One is to hang your horseshoe prong side up, so if the Devil should get too near, he will be sucked in and destroyed. The other belief is that if you hang your horseshoe prong side down, the good luck will pour out over your threshold, keeping the Devil from crossing it.

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